Laura Rogan
Creator and author of Wired For Reading® and co-author of Word-Wires
Laura Rogan, a skilled reading therapist, adult educator, counselor, and consumer-translator of reading research, possesses a unique combination of experience in school, academic, and clinical settings. She is recognized as a creative, and innovative educator with a special ability to craft and implement appropriate, engaging, and effective evidence-based learning strategies.
Laura earned her Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) in Psychology with a minor in English at the University of California, Irvine, a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at the University of Colorado, Denver, and a Master of Education in School Psychology at the University of Washington.
As Laura worked her way through school, she held clinical and research positions at the Child Development Center at the University of California, Irvine; The Child Learning Disability and Neuro-psychology Clinic at the University of Denver; The Institute for Behavioral Genetics at the University of Colorado, Boulder; and The University of Washington Multidisciplinary Learning Disability Center.
Prior to founding Wired For Reading, Laura Rogan, taught the Linguistic Remedies ℠ program to teachers for 12 years. She has been working with children with learning differences and their parents for twenty five years. Ms. Rogan herself has dyslexia. She teaches Wired For Reading teacher courses, conducts in service workshops, served on the board of the Puget Sound branch of the International Dyslexia Association and still maintains her private practice of more than twenty years.
Linguistic Remedies is a service mark of Remedies for Reading Disabilities, Inc. Wired For Reading is not affiliated with Remedies for Reading Disabilities, Inc., its Linguistic Remedies programs, or Dr. Barbara Wise. Except where noted, Laura Rogan and Wired For Reading are solely responsible for the content of this program.
Jennie Bloch Garcia
Co-author of Word-Wires, Certified Wired for Reading® Specialist
Jennifer Bloch Garcia trained as an elementary classroom teacher and taught third and sixth grade in Mexico and New York City. She realized that her favorite kids in her classes were often those that had difficulty with spelling, so she did her Master’s Degree in the Identification and Treatment of Learning Disabilities at Columbia University. For the last twenty years, she has worked as a Learning Specialist in various schools. After realizing how tier one, two and three instruction could work together for the benefit of all students, she began writing classroom word study materials. Teachers, many of whom had no difficulty learning to read or spell, continually asked her, “Why didn’t anyone ever teach me this?” About 20 years ago, she began working with Laura Rogan to develop a classroom approach to word study that echoed the depth and engagement of those used with students needing additional support. Currently she works as the Associate Head of School at the Bertschi School.
Amy Lansing
Certified Wired for Reading® Specialist and Instructor of Teachers
Amy Lansing’s career includes 30 years of working with struggling readers and spellers. In her private practice, Amy works with a wide range of abilities from those who qualify for special education services for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia to individuals who are twice exceptional. In addition to private tutoring, she works as an elementary reading intervention teacher in the Shoreline Public Schools. Amy teaches Wired For Reading® in general education classrooms, as well as to individuals and small groups of students identified through Title/LAP.
Amy received her BA. Ed. from Pacific Lutheran University and her MA.Ed from Seattle Pacific University in Curriculum and Instruction.
Elizabeth Sorby
Certified Wired for Reading® Specialist and Instructor of Teachers
Elizabeth Broughton Sorby is an Educational Specialist, with 30 years of experience working in education. She began her postgraduate school career as a School Counselor and School Psychologist in the Edmonds School District. During that time she noticed the correlation between social/emotional issues and reading problems and began extra coursework in reading and the brain. She has been in private practice, working primarily with children with dyslexia, since 2002; taking a break from 2013-17 to be a school administrator in an independent school. As part of her role at The Meridian School, Elizabeth designed and implemented the Customized Learning Program, which brought instruction and support for students with learning differences and giftedness into the daily school learning environment.
Elizabeth earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Washington. While in undergraduate school she worked on a two-year research project in the department of psychology that ignited her interest in educational psychology. She earned both her Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology and Master of Education in School Counseling from Seattle University.
Previously, Elizabeth served a six-year term on the Board of the Washington State Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (WABIDA) as well as serving on the Washington State Dyslexia Advisory Committee through 2022.
Catherine Thompson
Certified Wired for Reading® Specialist and Instructor of Teachers
Catherine Thompson first encountered the Wired For Reading program during her student teaching, where her cooperating teacher successfully implemented its methods in a third-grade classroom. Impressed by the students’ engagement and progress, Catherine, armed with a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Washington with ELL and Reading endorsements, became an ELL teacher. Eager to delve deeper into the program, she seized the opportunity to take the Wired For Reading Introductory Course.
Upon completing the Wired For Reading Introductory Course, Catherine recognized it as a pivotal element in effective teaching methods. Armed with her newfound knowledge, she returned to her role as an ELL teacher, focusing on at-risk first-grade students. The impact was immediate, leading to rapid growth in her students. Catherine’s dedication to the program deepened when she seized the opportunity to coach a student under Laura’s guidance. Since then, Catherine has played a central role in nearly every Wired For Reading course, taking on the position of the main instructor for all levels. In addition to her instructional responsibilities, she serves as the editor for the Wired for Reading and Word-Wires manuals. Beyond her work with the program, Catherine maintains a private practice, collaborating with children and their parents.
Heather Schwindt
Certified Wired for Reading® Specialist and Instructor of Teachers
Heather Schwindt discovered the Wired for Reading program when she sought support for her children. Dyslexic herself, she understood the importance of early and intensive intervention. The Wired for Reading program changed the trajectory of her children’s reading success and began to provide them with the confidence they needed.
Heather is a Special Education Advocate in the Puget Sound region specializing in Dyslexia/SLD. Heather is part of the leadership team of Decoding Dyslexia Washington (DDWA), a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), and the Washington Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (WABIDA). She is a founding member and administrator of the largest online Dyslexia support group in our state; a community of nearly 3000 families. Heather works on issues in our state facing the Dyslexia community, including the work for the passage of E2SSB6162, Universal Literacy Screening for all public school students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Heather currently serves on OSPI’s SLD Workgroup, addressing needed changes on how Students with Specific Learning Disabilities are identified for Special Education services in Washington state.
Heather is an instructor for the Wired for Reading Assessment Workshop and has assisted with nearly every Wired for Reading course.
Therese MacDonald
Certified Wired for Reading® Specialist and Instructor of Teachers
With a dedicated career in teaching that spans several decades, Therese MacDonald has been a steadfast advocate for accessible learning and innovative teaching methods. Her journey began while working to create accessible pathways for young adults with disabilities to live in the community, followed by obtaining a Master’s degree in Special Education, and subsequently working as a Title I/LAP tutor with Seattle Public Schools. In her search to improve her teaching and make reading and spelling more accessible for her students, she discovered Wired for Reading®.
For over 10 years, she has integrated this powerful curriculum into her private tutoring practice, witnessing firsthand the transformative impact it has on her students’ reading, spelling, and writing skills. Her profound appreciation for the Wired for Reading approach inspired her to join the training team, where she now contributes as an assistant for nearly all of the Wired for Reading teacher training courses and as an instructor for the Advanced course. Therese also plays a vital role in mentoring aspiring Certified Wired for Reading Tutors, sharing her expertise and passion for the program. She is registered with the Academic Language Therapy Association as an Instructor of Certified Academic Language Practitioners.
In further pursuit of professional expertise, Therese completed two years of postgraduate coursework to become a Self-Reg® Certified Facilitator. Self-Reg® is deeply rooted in neuroscience and is a program that assists parents and teachers to understand and address the impacts of stress on a child’s ability to learn. Therese currently offers mini workshops on Self-Reg® for private tutors, parents, and students.
As someone with ADD, Therese’s personal experiences drive her continuous exploration of ADD research and effective teaching methodologies for neurodivergent learners. Her unique perspective enables her to connect deeply with students and tailor her approaches to meet their individual needs.
“I believe that learning should never be boring, and by integrating elements of play and activities that ensure student success, learning becomes a stress-relieving and fulfilling journey. This approach involves keen observation of each student’s unique strengths, needs, and interests. My teaching philosophy extends to both students and adult learners, emphasizing that meaningful, enjoyable, and accomplishment-driven education fosters deeper understanding and growth for everyone involved.”
Larissa Weber
Certified Wired for Reading® Specialist
Larissa Weber has been working in education for 18 years, teaching in public, international, and independent schools. As a first year teacher in New York City, she learned quickly in her ELL classroom that if something benefits one student, it often benefits many. When she was teaching third grade at a local independent school, she saw a student’s Wired for Reading vowel key and wanted to learn more. It filled so many holes from her graduate program on teaching students how to read and Larissa immediately wanted to learn Wired with her students while stepping into her new role as a learning specialist. Working with Elizabeth Sorby, she was one of the first learning specialists at a local independent school as they built their customized learning program. From there, she worked with Laura Rogan as a coach for one of her students and began discussing how to best assess student progress. With Laura’s guidance, Larissa helped create the Wired for Reading assessments and now co-teaches the Assessment Course. She is passionate about using assessments as a communication tool and a way to show students the growth they are making. She currently works as the Director of Learning Services at the Bertschi School.